We all know the Grinch, right? For most of us, our introduction to the sassy green grump came in the year 2000 when Jim Carrey portrayed the iconic title character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The movie was adapted from Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book of the same name, and the adaptation led to the Grinch becoming a popular staple of Christmas ever since. Even if you haven't watched the movie, you'll have no doubt seen the copious amount of Grinch merchandise that hits the shelves every year throughout the festive season. The misanthropic menace is known by all. However, it's safe to say that when the horror parody The Mean One arrived on screens, a whole new side of the much-loved character was revealed.
David Howard Thornton (horror fans will recognize him from his portrayal of Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise) plays The Mean One - the bloodthirsty version of the Grinch. Joining him are Krystle Martin (The Uncanny) as Cindy You-Know-Who, Amy Schumacher (Nightwatch) as Mayor McBean (Schumacher's company co-produced the movie), and Chase Mullins (Driven) as Officer Burke. The movie is narrated by Christopher Sanders (Nightwatch) and directed by Steven LaMorte. Keep reading to find out how to watch The Mean One.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on July 9 with the VOD release date.
When Is The Mean One's Release Date?
The Mean One was officially announced in October 2022, with key art and a release date following a month later in November 2022. The Mean One premiered on December 9, 2022, in the United States.
Is The Mean One in Theaters?
Well, not anymore. The Mean One did premiere in theaters across the United States on the release date i.e December 9, 2022. Considering we're a long way from then, it's understandable that it isn't in theaters anymore. But there's other ways to watch this madcap horror comedy.
Is The Mean One Streaming or on VOD?
Initially, The Mean One director Steven LaMorte announced that the movie would be available to stream "for free everywhere in the U.S. December 15" as a Christmas gift to horror fans across the country. However, since the announcement of the movie's theatrical release, it seems the streaming date has been postponed indefinitely. At present, it is not yet known when or where The Mean One will be available to stream, but it's worth keeping an eye on Collider's coverage of The Mean One to stay up to date on all the latest announcements.
We do have some good news as it's been announced that The Mean One will arrive on VOD on October 3, 2023, just in time for Halloween. That's a long time to wait, but it's definitely something to add to your Halloween movie list.
Watch The Mean One Trailer
The trailer for The Mean One begins with a young Cindy being awoken on Christmas Eve by a disturbance in her home. When Cindy rushes downstairs she stumbles upon a brutal scene and thus has her first encounter with The Mean One - a bloodthirsty green monster intent on ruining Christmas. Twenty years later in the town of Newville, a traumatized Cindy realizes that The Mean One is back once again to bring terror to the festive season. Cindy learns about the legend of The Mean One from a local resident and undergoes some Rocky Balboa-like physical training so that the next time The Mean One crosses her path, she can get rid of him for good. The movie looks to be a violent, action-packed battle between The Mean One and the residents of Newville, with some darkly hilarious Easter eggs from the 2000s family-friendly movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. "First he stole Christmas. Now he's back for blood."
What Is the Background of The Mean One?
The character of The Mean One is a horror-based version of Dr. Seuss' Grinch. The Grinch originally made his debut in Seuss' 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The book was first adapted for the screen in 1966 as an animated television special. However, the Grinch's popularity rose to household-name status in the year 2000, when a feature-length family-friendly Christmas movie starring Jim Carrey as the title character was released. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Carey plays a sassy, grumpy, Christmas-hating beast who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a little girl named Cindy Lou Who. Whilst attempting to steal Christmas by taking away all the Whos' presents to hide in his secluded lair atop a snowy mountain, the Grinch realizes that he will never be able to take away the true meaning of Christmas. The movie ends with the Grinch's heart growing three sizes as he is welcomed to spend Christmas with the Whos.
In The Mean One, the origin story of the Grinch is, of course, much, much darker. Instead of stealing Christmas presents, this Mean One is intent on stealing lives. Check out the following synopsis for more:
In a sleepy mountain town, Cindy has her parents murdered and her Christmas stolen by a bloodthirsty green figure in a red Santa suit - The Mean One. But when the ravenous, Christmas-hating creature begins to terrorize the town and threatens to ruin the holiday, she finds a new purpose - trapping and killing the monster.
More Off-Beat Christmas Movies Like The Mean One to Watch Now
Krampus (2015): The Christmas Horror movie Krampus begins with the Engel family as they reluctantly prepare for the arrival of their extended relatives, who have invited themselves to spend the Christmas season at the Engels' home. When the dysfunctional group arrives, things get off to an awful start, especially for the youngest Engel, Max. Until this point, Max has been a devoted believer in Santa Claus, but when he is teased by his older cousins, Max tears up his letter to the man in the red coat and throws it out of his bedroom window. Shortly afterward, the town is suddenly engulfed in a blizzard and a demonic creature makes itself known.
Violent Night (2022): Violent Night is an action and comedy movie that puts a darker spin on the festive tales of Christmas. Stranger Things star David Harbour plays Santa Claus, but he's a far cry from the jolly old man we all know and love. This version of Santa spends Christmas Eve in pubs, drunk and bitter about children across the world losing their Christmas spirit and becoming more materialistic. When he finally boards his sleigh and sets about delivering the gifts, Santa finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation with a wealthy family. And of course, he goes full Die Hard on them!